The Journey Ahead
by soulbound nun
Summary: AU Princess Tutu is engaged to her beloved Myuto, who has asked Fakir to accompany Tutu to his kingdom. But will Tutu fall for the knight? Will Fakir leave his duty for the princess? Or will Tutu stay true to her prince? Love is tested for our heroine.
1. The Journey Ahead

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Author's note: Hi, this is my second fanfic on Princess Tutu! Why, Princess Tutu, you ask? It's because it's such an awesome anime, that's why! It's both cute and dark, and that's why I think this anime rocks so much!

Enjoy!

I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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_To the Princess of the Swans, Princess Tutu,_

_Your engagement to Prince Myuto, due to the decision of the King and Queens of your and Prince Myuto's kingdoms, is to an end as your marriage is in weeks from now. Tomorrow, the Prince's most trusted knight, Fakir, should arrive to accompany you to the Prince's kingdom for your wedding. The Prince awaits you at his castle._

Princess Tutu read the letter as she looked over at letters from Myuto, himself. She had been friends with him ever since she had been little, and Tutu was aware of the marriage for a long time. To tell you the truth, she hadn't minded much. She knew Myuto. She knew he was kind and a good person. His last letter read:

_To my dearest Tutu,_

_I am deeply sorry for not writing for a week or so; my knights and townspeople have been worried of an attack from the kingdom to the south, where the Princess of the Ravens, Kraehe, is said to reside. But not to worry, I assure your arrive will be safe and well kept. As you probably already know, Fakir will be taking you to the kingdom, for protection. You remember him, don't you? The three of us used to play together as kids. I hope your journey here is peaceful and calm. Rest assured, I am marrying you because I wish to, not for my Father and Mother, but for you, Tutu. Remember that._

_Myuto_

Tutu smiled, blushing, as she looked over at the letter she was writing to her fiancée. She did, in fact, remember Fakir. She had an annoyed face as Tutu remembered the memories of them as children. He used to tease her, saying he'd protect Myuto from "_icky_" girls like her. She read over her letter carefully:

_Myuto,_

_I am glad we are to wed. And not to worry, I am marrying you for my reasons alone. But out of all the knights… why Fakir?! We don't… exactly have the best relationship! Well… you must have your reasons too. I do, indeed, remember my times with you and Fakir. I remember one time he tried splashed a bucket of water on me… saying that I'll turn into a duck that I am someday! I also remember he used to call me Duck, that jerk…! He can be mean sometimes… but maybe… he's changed? Nah. He's probably the same. I hope to see you soon, Myuto. _

The Princess of the Swans finished the letter with a signature as she called in a maid to deliver it to one of the guards. Afterwards, she looked at the picture beside her bed.It was a photo of the three as children. Myuto stood beside her with a smile as Duck glared at Fakir, who was trying to put bunny ears behind her head. "I don't know why… but I'm glad to get to see him again… Fakir…," she whispered.

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The day passed as Princess Tutu was ready and prepared to depart to see Myuto, her soon to be husband. Tutu was excited, both to see Myuto quickly, and to see if Fakir had changed while she was gone. She quickly rushed down the many flight of stairs as her butlers trailed behind, carrying the luggage as they desperately tried to stop the Princess from running down the stairs, for she might slip, but they were too preoccupied with her luggage.

They had hoped she wouldn't trip… but their fears became true. As Tutu ran downstairs to see the "older, perhaps, more mature" Fakir, she tripped. Princess Tutu gasped as she closed her eyes, expecting to hit the hard floor, or the bumbling stairs.

And yet she felt something else. It was warm, and it didn't feel like the flat floor nor the crooked flight of stairs. "You're still this _clumsy_? I knew you'd still be an _idiot_. Don't you know you could get hurt by running down the stairs? _Fool_…," the person who had caught her spat.

Tutu had an irritated face as she automatically assumed who had saved her. She instantly recognized the voice and opened her eyes. The Princess blinked as Fakir looked different than the last time she saw him. His personality wasn't different, but he was now much taller than her and was more, well, handsome. But, of course, Tutu wouldn't say that.

Fakir observed the girl he held in his arms. Tutu was older, yes, but he did notice she still had those big, blue eyes and one strand of hair that always seems to stick up in a little curve. Even if she looked different, Fakir thought she'd still be a pain.

"You can let go now…," Tutu said in an annoyed voice.

"Fine."

"_Ow…!_"

As he said that, he let go, and the Princess fell on the floor. She looked up at him with a glare as he looked away. "We should get going," Fakir noticed the butlers carrying the many bags, "And are you that lazy? Can't you carry your own things yourself? You're so pathetic… _Duck_."

Tutu then stood up quickly, her hands now fists. "You…! You…!" she grumbled, pointing at him.

But Fakir shrugged her off. "The carriage is outside. Hurry up or I'll just make you _walk_ the way to the kingdom," he stated as he went outside, leaving an annoyed Tutu, about to explode in anger.

After the butlers had finished putting all the luggage in the trunk of the carriage, Tutu observed the carriage. It was a simple one. There were four horses in front and an old man sat there with a whip in hand. She looked over back at four guards who would also been accompanying her. They stared at her with perverted looks as Princess Tutu looked disgusted as she stuck out her tongue. Tutu then looked at Fakir who was walking over to her.

"Well? Get in."

"Hey, aren't you going to open the door, and let me in?"

"Do it yourself."

"Some _gentleman_ you are!"

Fakir glared at her as he opened the door, pushed her in, got inside himself, and then slammed the door. "We're going to depart any minute."

Tutu stared at him in dismay. "Wait… you're not gonna be outside like the other guards?!" she asked.

"Myuto told me to watch you 24/7. That means I'm stuck to you like glue. It's not like I'm not doing this because I want to."

Princess Tutu glared as Fakir glared back. The carriage soon departed. Tutu was facing the direction the carriage was going, and Fakir was facing the direction they were leaving.

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After only one morning after they had left, Tutu was looking outside, and did that the whole time. She didn't feel like making any conversations with Fakir whatsoever. She'd glance a few times at him, and was irritated to find him staring straight at her each time.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you staring is _rude_?"

"I'm not staring; I'm just making sure you don't _fall_ out the carriage through the window. It's just expected out of somebody as clumsy as you."

"The window _isn't_ even open!"

"Well, somehow, you get _hurt_ no matter what happens."

"So… how's Myuto?" Princess Tutu decided to change the subject. She thought talking about Myuto would make the talk a little more enjoyable, considering Fakir might be more talkative about the Prince.

"He's just happy that you're going to be at the kingdom soon."

"Really?!?!"

"No."

Tutu glared at him. "That wasn't funny."

Fakir rolled his eyes. "He just keeps talking about you. Every conversation is about you. It's _intoxicating_…"

The Princess of the Swans ignored his last comment as she gasped in excitement. "Really? He talks about me that much?" she asked.

"Yeah…," the knight mumbled.

Tutu stared at him. Even though he was older, even though he was taller… he was still the same Fakir she had remembered. "Fakir… you haven't changed a bit. You want to know what's funny? I was actually _glad_ that I'd be able to see you today…" she said.

Fakir flinched. "What…?" he asked, "Duck, you're such an idi---"

Before Fakir could finish his sentence, the carriage suddenly rattled. It shook as Fakir fell on Tutu. "What's… going on?" she wondered as she couldn't help but stare at the knight as she asked hesitantly, "Fakir… are you… okay?"

Fakir put his hand on his head as he stood up as Tutu did the same. She noticed his face seemed odd. "What's wrong?"

"The carriage… it stopped moving."

Princess Tutu waited as Fakir opened the door and got off to see what happened. Tutu followed as she gasped. All of the four guards and the old driver were killed, blood everywhere. "Qua---!" she whispered with a dry voice as she covered her mouth.

Suddenly the two were surrounded by slaves of the ravens, dressed as crows, with swords in hand. In the sky was crows flying above, circling them. Fakir took out his sword as he stood in front of Tutu. "Stay right here. If you move, you'll get killed," Fakir told her as she nodded.

_Ravens… crows… they're of the south…_, Tutu noticed.

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In a dark, sinister castle in the south, the Princess of the Ravens stood. She, knowing what was happening to the Princess and the Knight, didn't care. After all, she was the one who sent her minions. "Princess Tutu… once I get rid of you… Myuto will give me his heart, and I will give it to my Father. My Father will again be strong and take over the other kingdoms as Myuto will be mine and mine alone…," Kraehe whispered.

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As Fakir rushed off, killing the Raven minions one by one, Tutu quickly dodged the attacks that came at her. She could barely see Fakir in the midst of battle. He was too preoccupied to see her worried face.

Fakir killed off more raven minions as he looked back at Princess Tutu, who only looked at him in fear. "What are you doing? Run!" he snapped.

"Look out!" Tutu cried as she ran up to him and went behind him. One of the ravens was about to harm the unexpected Fakir.

"Stop! You idiot!"

Yet Tutu didn't listen. To stop him from getting hurt, she hugged him tightly. "Don't make a move, Fakir. You're already wounded… I'll take this attack… just… don't die, please…," she whispered. Fakir gasped as he hugged her tightly, hoping the minion would miss.

Luckily for the Princess and the Knight, the minions suddenly vanished as the Princess of the Ravens decided it'd be a bit too early to rid this story of Princess Tutu. Tutu looked around to find the minions were gone. All that was left was crow feathers and a few crows flying away in the sky. "It's… over…," the Princess whispered.

"You idiot! What were you thinking?!" Fakir snapped, "Putting yourself in danger like that! I wouldn't hear the end of it from Myuto if you got killed!"

Tutu looked away, annoyed. "Well, I didn't die, did I?" she spat, "You're so weird. Stop thinking about what could happen. Think about what needs to happen."

"What…?"

"Look, those guards are dead, and so is the driver. It looks like not all of the horses have been killed. At least they didn't run off; we can still use them to pull the carriage. The carriage wasn't damaged, thankfully. And since you're the only one here, you'll have to order the horses," Princess Tutu explained as she walked over to the carriage, "Well? Aren't you going to help me lift this up, Fakir?"

Fakir was hesitant to respond. "Right…" He was still thinking about what she had said before.

_"Just… don't die, please…"_

_What did she mean by that?_ He wondered as they got the carriage up, returned the horses to their spots as it was ready to be of use. Fakir was about to sit up front when he looked back at Tutu, who was about to get in the carriage.

She curtsied with a bit of a bow. "Thank you… because of you… I'm a few more steps to see Myuto," the Princess of the swans told him with a smile, "I really did… miss both of you, Myuto… and you, Fakir."

Fakir watched her go inside the carriage. He went and sat up front as the carriage began to move. "Duck…"

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That's chapter 1! I hope you liked it! Please, RXR, and I'll make the next chapter soon!


	2. The Cursed Town

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: Tutu and Fakir can only rely on themselves after the gruesome deaths of the other guards and the driver of the carriage by the southern Raven minions. Hurrying onward on their journey, Fakir is puzzled by Princess Tutu's words that she didn't want him to die. Meanwhile, Kraehe's plan soon unfolds as she begins the attack.

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I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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Tutu woke up slowly, mumbling that she hated the bumpy road they were on. She rubbed her eyes. Her slumber on the seats in the carriage wasn't what you'd call "pleasant," but at least it was decent. It was then, and there, she noticed the carriage was _moving_. Princess Tutu had a questionable face as she opened the door and accidentally fell as she hung on the door _while_ the carriage was still moving. "Ahhhhh!" Princess Tutu said with a dry voice as she held unto the door, "Fa-Fa-Fakir…! St-St-Stop the carriage…!!!"

Fakir looked over and his jaw dropped when he saw Tutu hanging on the door, wide open, trying to reach the couch inside. "_What_ the hell are you doing?!" he demanded, who couldn't believe it.

"Stop the carriage!" the Princess of the Swans shouted, hanging from the open door.

"You idiot!" Fakir snapped as he stopped the carriage from moving. Tutu sighed in relief as she dropped to the ground.

"Ow…," she mumbled. The drop did hurt a bit, but at least she wasn't hanging from the door anymore.

The Knight shook his head as he walked over to her. "Duck! What were you trying to do? Kill yourself?" Fakir questioned, annoyed.

"No… I just noticed the carriage was moving. Don't tell me you were driving the carriage all night…," Princess Tutu explained.

"…" Fakir was silent.

"Fakir, did you sleep last night…?" Tutu lazily asked, a bit tired from the ride.

The knight glared at her. "What did you expect? Myuto wants me to bring you to his kingdom as soon as soon as possible. Do you think _I_ want to be stuck with _you_?"

Tutu looked appalled. "Well, you could've slept in the _carriage_, you know…"

"I'm _not_ a pervert!"

"I didn't mean it like _that_! You could've slept _over there_!" she pointed to the seat he'd always sit on, across from her.

"Oh… well, it wasn't like I _had_ a choice."

"Huh?" the Princess of the Swans asked, confused.

"I tried getting inside, but you _locked_ the freaking doors, remember?!?!" Fakir snapped in anger, "I couldn't sleep out there; someone could've tried and kidnapped you while I was sleeping, so I had no choice, but to keep on going, you idiot!"

"Oh… that _rattling_ on the door was _you_? I thought it was the _wind_…," Tutu mumbled with a yawn as if it were nothing.

". . ." Fakir looked like he was going in kill Tutu.

"Eh heh heh…," Princess Tutu laughed nervously as she reminded him that they had a long to go, but they could rest for a while. "Fakir… has your wounds healed yet?"

"Not yet…," Fakir replied, "Those damn crows…" Fakir quietly sat on the seat of the carriage as he soon fell asleep.

"Fakir?"

"…"

"Fakir…?" Princess Tutu repeated.

Tutu stared at him. _He must be asleep… I guess being up all night must've been tiring…_, she thought. Deciding that Fakir should sleep in silence, the Princess of the Swans slowly went outside to take a breather.

The sight amazed her. Green, fresh fields, a blue, wide sky, the wind blowing perfectly; it was a beautiful view. Tutu rarely left her Kingdom; every now and then she'd visit Myuto with her parents or had to visit other Kingdoms.

Looking back at the carriage where Fakir slept, Princess Tutu thought he probably wouldn't really mind if she took a quick look around. _Fakir must be so tired from driving the carriage all night. I think I should let him rest for now; he deserves it_, the Princess of the Swans thought with a smile as she slowly and quietly closed the carriage door.

Tutu walked over to the horses and petted their heads. "You poor horses… I'm sorry you had to suffer while the Raven minions attacked a while ago," she said to them, and then she sat on the driver's seat. Tutu looked at the view in thought. _Fakir sat here all night to take me to Myuto…_, she thought, _Myuto… I wonder when I'll get to see him again…_ Tutu stared into the blue skies as she smiled. "I can't wait to see him… Myuto…," she whispered with a soft voice.

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Fakir looked around. He knew he was dreaming. He knew he was in a dream. His mind wandered to his past… when he used to play with Myuto and Tutu in his childhood. It seemed so far away, and yet… and yet… he could remember it all so well. Tutu, wanting to follow Myuto around with her childish crush; Myuto, wanting to protect every living thing, and wanting to protect Tutu as well; and he, himself, Fakir, who wanted to protect Myuto, like in the story "The Prince and the Raven." _Of course… it's just a story_, Fakir had thought, but Tutu's name was very odd, considering it was the _same name_ as the Princess Tutu of the story. Not to mention the raven minions of the south seemed to have _something_ to do with the story as well.

"Duck…," Fakir whispered as he remembered the times when he played with her and Myuto as children.

_It was a sunny afternoon as the three were playing in the gardens of Myuto's kingdom. "Wow, Myuto!" Tutu awed with her bright, blue eyes in amazement of his kingdom, "I can't wait to live here with you! Of course… when we're married…" Her face grew red as she looked down, blushing._

_Myuto smiled. "I feel the same way," he replied with a calm, gentle voice._

_As Tutu played through the flowers, Fakir rolled his eyes in annoyance. He was standing with Myuto as the two watched her. "You're really gonna get married when you're older, huh?" Fakir questioned, "To her?"_

_"Yes," Myuto explained with a smile, "It is of our parents' wishes, but it's my wish as well."_

_"Out of all the girls in the world…," Fakir mumbled, shaking his head, "… why'd they have to choose the weird one?" Princess Tutu's head rose slowly, hearing that insult, as she slowly turned around as she stomped back to the two._

_"Hey, Fakir! I heard that!" Tutu shouted._

_"So?" Fakir said, not amused, "It's the truth."_

_"Well, it doesn't matter! Either way, Myuto and I are gonna get married someday!" Tutu snapped._

_"Not if I can help it," Fakir mentioned with a grin, "I am Myuto's knight. I'll protect him from weird girls, like you!"_

_Tutu frowned sourly, angered. "Hey!"_

_Myuto watched the two quietly. "Fakir, you really shouldn't say such things to girls. It can hurt their feelings," he noted._

_Fakir didn't listen as he grabbed a bucket of water. "Myuto, she's no princess! She's just a duck! Watch: I'll just pour some water on her, and she'll turn into a duck!"_

_Tutu glared. "What are you talking about? I am a princess!"_

_"Let's see then!" Fakir said as he chased her around with a bucket full of water. Tutu ran quickly, despite wearing a dress. She raced quickly, not wanting the water to get all over her._

_"Hey, quit it!" Tutu complained, but laughed in the fun of it. She quickly ran behind Myuto. "Myuto, stop him! He's being mean!"_

_Myuto looked from Tutu to Fakir. "Fakir, stop doing tha---."_

_Before Myuto could stop him, Fakir spilled the water all over Myuto and Tutu. Tutu moaned, annoyed that her pretty dress was ruined. Myuto blinked, but laughed. Tutu noticed this and smiled. She grabbed another bucket of water._

_"Hey, Fakir!" Tutu called, "Now it's Myuto's and my turn to get you wet!"_

_Fakir backed away, nervous. "You wouldn't!"_

_Tutu glanced at Myuto. "Ready, Myuto?"_

_Myuto nodded with a short smile. "Alright."_

_The two chased Fakir around, and eventually, all three of them were soaked. But it didn't matter. Afterwards, all three of them were laughing because it was fun._

Fakir, himself, was amused at what had seen. It was a memory of long ago, but it was a good memory, at best. "Duck…," he whispered again as he woke up. Fakir woke up with a yawn, and suddenly realized… the carriage was _moving_. "Damn, don't tell me…," he thought, nervously, as he opened the door, and peeked his head out, only to find Princess Tutu steering the horses.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, Duck?!"

Tutu peered back to see Fakir was awake. She stopped the carriage as she stepped off from the seat and walked over to Fakir with a smile. "Good morning, Fakir! … Actually I should be saying _good afternoon_, but…"

"What were you thinking?! Why were you driving the carriage?!"

"I just wanted to try it…," Tutu explained with an innocent voice.

"Well, don't!" Fakir shouted.

"Hm?" Tutu asked, confused.

Fakir sighed as he looked away. "You're such a handful… you idiot."

Tutu glared as she was about to shout, but didn't as the two noticed something ahead. "A… town…?"

Fakir blinked. He glanced at Tutu. "Well? Let's go."

Tutu was taken aback, since just a second ago they were in an argument, and now it's over. She smiled.

"But I'm driving," the Princess of the Swans announced.

"No, you're not," Fakir stated.

Why not?" Tutu asked.

"Because…! Oh, never mind! You're still not driving!" the Knight told her.

"Come on! I can drive _good_!" Tutu whined.

"The carriage isn't even _on_ the pathway anymore! You drove the carriage down _three_ hills!" Fakir snapped, pointing at the three hills behind them. Tutu glanced at them, but shrugged.

"And if I _didn't_, we would've probably _never_ seen the town over there!" she reminded him.

"… Never mind."

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"What is it?" Myuto asked as one of his guards approached him. Myuto was looking out the window, awaiting Tutu.

"I'm sorry I must tell you this, Prince, but… we have heard from the neighboring towns near Princess Tutu's kingdom that they saw crows somewhat at the path she was on. They suspect she was attacked, and the whole kingdom's in an outrage…"

Myuto gasped. "No…," he thought, but looked down. He wanted to search for Tutu himself, but he had a kingdom to take care of. He couldn't just leave. Myuto looked up and faced the guard. "I know Tutu's alive… I know it. So is Fakir. I trust Fakir. I know he'll bring Tutu to me," he said.

"Are you sure it's wise to trust that knight of yours, Prince?"

Myuto quietly stared at the guard. He was surprised to see the guard had no faith in Fakir. But Myuto had faith in Fakir. He always had faith in him. "Of course," Myuto told the guard with a reassuring smile, "Fakir is one of my most loyal knights and I have known him for years. I know he'll return, with Princess Tutu."

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Princess Kraehe smiled a cruel smile. "So… they found the town in which it all began, hm?" she asked herself, "I wonder… if Princess Tutu has been in contact with… him yet?"

She looked over at her raven minions, forever loyal to the Princess of the Ravens. They all kneeled in front of her throne, awaiting orders. "Find Tutu," Kraehe commanded them, "Torture her to your heart's content. And as for the knight… if he interferes, kill him."

Her minions obeyed and immediately left her. Kraehe smiled as she stared off in the window and watched the crows fly off. "Soon… Father, you will have your heart, and I… I will have my Prince."

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Tutu and Fakir stepped into the town. It was different from any town Princess Tutu had ever seen. There were animals walking and talking like normal human beings, and none of the humans seemed to mind it. "Fakir… what is this?" she asked him.

"I've heard of a town like this. It's been cursed by some story writer who could write anything, and it would become reality," Fakir said.

"What?"

"They say they had to cut off his arms. And even in death, he was still able to curse this town forever to live in tragedy."

"How terrible…," Tutu mumbled, "But… no one in the town looks like they're in _pain_, Fakir."

Fakir didn't know why they weren't in pain. He had heard the story writer was cruel, writing stories about tragedies, and for his own personal gain. _Do the townspeople even know they're cursed? _Fakir wondered. He sighed. He knew they shouldn't have come to the town in the first place; taking Tutu to Myuto was supposed to be his first priority, not taking her to foreign towns. "Hey, Duck, let's just get food and supplies. Don't run off anywhere, got it…?" he told her as he turned to find her gone. Fakir flinched as he backed away, and began looking around quickly. _Dammit! Where'd she go now?!_ Fakir thought, _First she goes off saying stupid things about not wanting me to die, then she drives the carriage and gets us off course, and now she runs off to who knows where! That idiot…!_

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Princess Tutu's smile grew wide as she gazed at the town and the townspeople. She was only allowed in Myuto's kingdom, and her own, yet never visited the town within her kingdom or Myuto's. Tutu was amazed to see it all. She didn't know where to start looking. "Wow! Fakir, isn't this all… neat…?" Tutu exclaimed with a grin as she turned to face no one. Tutu gulped, worried. _Oh, no! I left Fakir by accident! Now he'll get really angry at me!_ She thought, looking around, her eyes racing, _Fakir! Fakir! Where are you…?!_

"Hey, are you lost?" a girl asked, walking up to her. The girl had pink hair tied up, and was tomboyish.

"Oh, she's lost all right! Let the _torture_ of _being lost_ begin!" squealed the blonde girl with pigtails and pink ribbons, who followed the pink haired girl.

Tutu blinked as she stared at the two with her big, blue eyes. "Actually… I'm looking for someone…," she explained, "I sorta accidentally got separated from him… His name's Fakir." And as the Princess of the Swans befriended two townspeople of the cursed town, little did she know of the crows flying above her, high up in the sky.

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Sorry it took me so long to write the second chapter!!! … I had a bit of writer's block! As Tutu and Fakir learn more about the cursed town and the story writer who cursed it, Fakir fights Kraehe's Raven minions who are after Tutu as Tutu encounters the writer of tragedies himself! RXR!


	3. The Prince and The Raven

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: After arguments between the two, Tutu and Fakir manage to arrive at a town, cursed by a dead story writer who wrote tragedies and was able to twist reality to his pleasing. As the two get separated from each other in the town, what mysteries will unfold? And as Myuto receives word of the Ravens' attack on Tutu and Fakir, Kraehe sends her minions to attack Tutu!

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I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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Tutu blinked as she stared at the two with her big, blue eyes. "Actually… I'm looking for someone…," she explained, "I sorta accidentally got separated from him… His name's Fakir."

"Oh! _Tragedy_ begins as the poor girl loses her _loved_ one! What _pain_ you must feel!" the blonde girl exclaimed in pure happiness.

"Wh-What?" Princess Tutu asked, confused.

"_Ignore_ her," the pink haired girl mentioned, waving her hand, "I'm Pique. And she's Lillie."

"I'm… ah…," Tutu was about to say Princess Tutu, but wasn't sure if she was supposed to reveal her name or not, since she is a Princess.

"Huh?" Pique asked, who was the one confused now.

"I'm _Duck_. Nice to meet you, Pique, Lillie," Tutu explained with a curtsy.

Princess Tutu was amazed to meet two people her own age. Her only friends had been those she had to meet, royalty, and Myuto and Fakir. But the two girls in front of her didn't even know she was a Princess. Tutu sighed in relief, glad.

"So, this Fakir guy… is he your _boyfriend_?" Lillie asked with a grin.

"Wha…?! N-Now way!!! We're not like _that_ at all!!!" Tutu snapped, with face red.

"But you sounded pretty _worried_ when you were calling for him! And you're _blushing_ too!" Pique added.

"Cut it out! He's just a friend!" Tutu protested, annoyed. Her face was still red as Tutu pouted. Fakir was nowhere in sight, and she was lost in a town she had never been to before. _Fakir…_, Princess Tutu thought, _… Where are you?_

"Hey, Duck," Lillie then said, changing the subject, "Have you ever heard any rumors of our town? It's so cool!"

"What?" Princess Tutu asked.

"They're just made up lies, Lillie," Pique reminded her, "It's nothing, really. Just some rumors about our town being cursed by some dead guy. I heard he wrote The Prince and The Raven."

Tutu remembered that story. She heard from Fakir one time that it was Myuto's favorite. Tutu had read it before, and was amazed to find her name was in the book. But the character in the story was truly tragic. She was unable to speak of her love, and her role only lasted a page. Princess Tutu turned into a speck of light and vanished. "They're… just rumors…?" Tutu asked.

"Well…," Pique explained, "We don't know for sure. But some people believe our town is cursed. But it can't be; look how peaceful it is!"

Tutu didn't know what to say. The cursed town… The author who cursed it… It all couldn't just been made up lies and rumors. But what if they weren't…?

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Fakir grew irritated as he walked through town. "Great, just great…," he mumbled as he came across a bookstore. He knew he was supposed to search for Tutu, but something told him to go inside. Entering the bookstore, he browsed around the many selves of books.

But one book seemed to catch Fakir's eye. It was a story he remembered so well. The story he had read to Myuto over a thousand times. The Prince and the Raven.

Taking out the book, Fakir gently patted off the dust the book had collected. It seemed as though it hadn't been read for years. Opening the book, the pages instantly fell upon a certain page Fakir practically memorized. The page where Princess Tutu turned into a speck of light and vanished. "That was Myuto's favorite part of the story. He loved hearing about… Princess Tutu…," Fakir mumbled. Myuto didn't seem to mind about the Prince or the Raven, or the fact the book was never finished; Myuto loved hearing about Princess Tutu over and over again. "Princess Tutu… It is just a _story_," Fakir told himself, but he did find it odd that Tutu was named after the tragic Princess of the book.

Fakir flinched as he turned to see a crow at the window next to him. The crow stared at Fakir with its menacing eyes. With that, Fakir dropped the book and ran out the door. One thing was in his mind right now. "Duck!!!" Fakir called out as he saw crows in the sky, heading for a large building across town.

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"A ballet school?" Tutu asked, suddenly interested. She had always enjoyed ballet. Ever since she learned Myuto loved ballet. Princess Tutu dreamed of dancing with the Prince on their wedding day. Everyday when she was little, Tutu would practice each day to impress Myuto while she would visit him. She even practiced at her own Kingdom, her morning, afternoon, and evening. Her teachers were strict, and the lessons were hard, but Princess Tutu did not give up. Even if she made mistakes, she had to learn from it. Tutu wanted to dance in Myuto's arms. She wanted to feel her body against his as the two danced in a moment where time would never end.

"Yeah. Lillie and I go there. We're taught ballet by _Mr. Cat_," Pique explained.

_Mr. Cat…? Does she mean a real cat? Or is his last name Cat?_ Princess Tutu wondered. This town was different than any other town she had ever been to. Animals were acting like humans and living with humans. Expecting the teacher to be human would probably be too much.

"Wanna go there? Mr. Cat could teach you ballet if you enroll," Lillie suggested.

_Enroll…_, Tutu mumbled in thought. But she couldn't enroll in the school; after all, she was only going to stay here to get supplies with Fakir. They could only take a day. _But…_, Tutu thought, with a short smile, _Maybe one peek wouldn't hurt…_

"All right! Let's go!" Tutu exclaimed.

Pique glanced at Lillie. "Did you forget to tell her Mr. Cat is strict and will ask any girl to marry him if they fail?" she questioned.

"Opps! _Did_ I forget?" Lillie asked innocently with a laugh, "Oh well!" Pique sighed, who knew this would happen.

Tutu was very interested about their ballet school, since she had never been to one before. She was taught by personal teachers. Tutu wanted to see how a normal school was displayed.

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Fakir raced towards the huge building on the other side of town. It seemed to look like a school, possibly. Running fast, Fakir accidentally bumped into someone. Fakir blinked as it was a boy with purple hair, glasses, and the books that were in his hands fell on the ground. A couple of his papers fell as well. "Sorry," Fakir said shortly, who needed to find Tutu quick. About to leave, he didn't expect the person he bumped into to snap.

"You should watch where you're going!" the boy with glasses complained, "These are rare copies of _Drosselmeyer's_ books! And documents of stories he was going to begin to write!"

Fakir glanced back at the boy. "Drosselmeyer? Who's he?"

The boy with purple hair and glasses looked at Fakir, as if appalled. "You don't know about Drosselmeyer? The storywriter with the power to twist his own stories into reality?!"

_Drosselmeyer… So he's the one who cursed the town. I bet none of the townspeople even realize it…_, Fakir thought.

"He's a great author! It's a shame he wasn't able to finish writing his famous story: _The Prince and The Raven_…"

"What…? You're telling me… Drosselmeyer's the author?!"

"Weren't you listening to a word I was saying? You must be some traveler or something. I am Autor, and possibly the only one in this town who knows more about Drosselmeyer than anyone else."

"So… this Drosselmeyer guy… He's the author? Are you sure?" Fakir repeated.

"Yes, yes," Autor replied, "Is that _all_ you were going to ask? Because I'm very busy in research."

Drosselmeyer. The author who cursed this town. Altor. Possibly the only one in this town who knew more about Drosselmeyer than anyone else. Fakir wanted to know more. It didn't occur to him why he was so interested about Drosselmeyer, but he had to know. Something was telling him he had to know.

The Prince and The Raven. That was Myuto's favorite book. Why? Out of all the books in the world… why that book? Why a book with _no ending_? Was it because of… _Princess Tutu_? The young girl who cannot reveal her love or she'll turn into a speck of light and disappear? _Princess Tutu… Duck!_ he thought with a gasp. Fakir suddenly remembered Tutu and dashed off, without another word to Autor.

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Pique and Lillie led Tutu to their classroom, which was now in session. Their ballet classmates stared in distraught as Mr. Cat slowly faced them. "Ms. Pique and Ms. Lillie, you two are late! Very late indeed! You know what that means! That means you will have to ma---!" Mr. Cat, who was about to say "_marry me_," immediately stopped as he noticed Tutu was with them. He coughed and began talking again. "Is this… a new student, girls?" Mr. Cat asked.

"Y-Yes," Pique explained, nervously, "Th-This is Duck. She's… going to enroll in our classes… from now on, Mr. Cat."

"I see…," Mr. Cat said, quietly.

"M-Mr. Cat… this means we aren't in trouble, right…? We were… uh, just showing Duck around…," Lillie asked, who was just as scared of getting married to Mr. Cat as Pique.

"I suppose you two are off the hook, then," Mr. Cat said, motioning the Pique and Lillie to sit with the rest of the class. Pique and Lillie hesitated as they glanced back at Tutu, but did so. Tutu, however, wasn't told to sit down. She didn't know what to do, so she just stood there.

"Um… am I _not_ off the hook… Mr. Cat…?" Tutu asked, nervously as Mr. Cat just stared at her.

"Certainly, Ms. Duck! You must follow all rules of this school, and even though you're new, you must still face the consequences!" Mr. Cat announced, "Because you are late… you will have to… _marry me_!!!"

Tutu voice was dry as her eyes grew tiny. Her voice was trembling, and she didn't know what to do. "Wh-What…?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Duck, but maybe this'll teach you to be early to class on time," Mr. Cat stated.

Tutu froze. What was she supposed to do? Marry Mr. Cat? _No way_! She couldn't just say she was already engaged. To _who_, there were going to ask. Should she say Myuto? Reveal she is going to marry a Prince, and she, herself, is a Princess? _Oh, this is bad! I wish I hadn't left Fakir when we first got here! Fakir!_ Tutu thought.

Just as she called for him in thought, Fakir stepped into the classroom. Tutu gasped with a smile. "Fakir!" Tutu exclaimed.

Fakir walked over to her, annoyed. "Where were you? I've been looking for you everywhere! Idiot, don't run off again!" he scolded her as he glanced at Mr. Cat, Pique and Lillie, and the rest of the class, "Huh? What's going on, Duck?"

"Excuse me, sir, but our new student, Ms. Duck, was late for class today, so, as punishment… she will have to marry me!" Mr. Cat again announced.

Fakir voice grew dry as well as he stared from Tutu to Mr. Cat. _What the hell…?_ Fakir thought. He had to do something quick; he wouldn't hear the end of it if he let Princess Tutu marry a talking cat. "What are you talking about?" he asked Mr. Cat, "She's already _engaged_."

The class and Mr Cat gasped. "This is like one of those soap operas…! I hope something terrible and painful happens!" Lillie whispered as Pique sighed. The two girls and the rest of the class listened in quietly, too afraid to even speak, for Mr. Cat looked like he was about to explode.

"To… To _who_?!" Mr. Cat questioned.

Princess Tutu didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure whether to say Myuto or not. Fakir was here, so she wasn't even sure if she was supposed to say she was a Princess going to be married to a Prince. "Uh… umm… uh…," she fidgeted, unsure of what to say.

"I'm marrying her."

Tutu gasped. She hadn't expected those words to come from… _Fakir_! "F-F-Fakir?!" Tutu asked, her face flustered and red, "What are you…?"

Fakir glanced at her. "Shut up, and let me handle this," he whispered, and Tutu nodded.

"_Y-You're_ her fiancée?!" Mr. Cat demanded, who couldn't believe it.

"Yes," Fakir said as he took out his sword, "And I cannot stand here, and watch the _love of my life_ getting married to the likes of you, when she's already promised to _me_. Sir, if you are really in love with her, you will _duel_ me. Here and now!" Fakir's voice was serious, confidant, and very convincing. He faced his sword to Mr. Cat. The rest of the class awed and were amazed. Mr. Cat grew hesitant as he backed away and began fidgeting on the ground, purring in an irritated tone.

Tutu's face was red as she heard Fakir's words. _Wow… Fakir…_, she thought, _That sounded so sincere…_

Pique and Lillie rushed up to Tutu, amazed. "Wow, Duck! This is your _fiancée_?! He's so handsome; you've got a great catch!" Pique exclaimed.

"You told us Fakir wasn't even your _boyfriend_!" Lillie added.

"Well… I… uh…," Tutu tried to explained, pointing her two index fingers together repeatedly, "I didn't really want anybody to know… I was, uh… getting married and all…"

"Let's go," Fakir then said. He wanted to leave this town as soon as possible.

"Uh… okay…," Tutu slowly agreed. Before leaving the classroom, Pique and Lillie, her two new friends, wanted to say their goodbyes.

"It was great meeting you, Duck! I hope we can meet you again someday!" Pique said with a smile.

"I hope I can meet the both of you again too," Tutu replied.

"I know!" Lillie suggested, "Why don't you invite us to your _wedding_? That way, we _will_ meet you again!"

Tutu again was unsure. She glanced at Fakir, who looked away. Fakir sighed. "Do what you want," he said, "After all, it is _your_ wedding." Tutu smiled as a thank you.

"All right! Once I return home, I'll send everyone invitations!" the Princess of the Swans exclaimed.

"I can't wait!" Pique said.

"Duck," Lillie told her, "Remember, it _is_ okay for the groom to see the bride on the wedding day, okay?"

"Wha…? But I thought…," Princess Tutu mumbled, confused. Pique, knowing Lillie was up to no good, quickly hauled her away, covering Lillie's mouth.

"Forget what Lillie just said, Duck! Just hurry up to your town and get those invitations here soon! Bye!" Pique reassured her.

Tutu nodded as she left with Fakir. The class soon started to talk about weddings as Mr. Cat was, meanwhile, still fidgeting on the floor, purring with an irritated tone. Pique and Lillie began talking about Tutu's and Fakir's wedding as well, not knowing Tutu was actually going to marry Myuto. As the two talked, Pique glanced outside the window. "Hey… Lillie…," Pique said.

"What is it?" Lillie mentioned.

"There weren't this many crows in the town… What's going on?" Pique wondered. The skies were beginning to darken as crows were seen high in the skies and on the rooftops of the town.

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"Gosh… you're such a pain… I can't leave you alone for a second!" Fakir mumbled, "Why did you have to run off?"

"Sorry…," Tutu apologized.

"Whatever. At least I found you in time… or you would've been marrying that talking cat," Fakir said.

"I know…!" Tutu said, annoyed. But she was _glad_ Fakir came. He was kind of like those knights you see in a fairytale. Knights who rescue damsels in distress. _But why…_, the Princess wondered, _Why did Fakir say he was my fiancé? Why not Myuto? Or someone else? Why did Fakir say that…?_

As they were leaving the Ballet School, Fakir remembered why he was in such a hurry to find Tutu. Fakir wanted to find Tutu before the Raven minions did, and get her out of town quickly! Tutu gasped as her eyes grew wide. There were crows everywhere. She was speechless, and didn't know what to say or do. Fakir looked behind her, and flinched as he saw the Raven minions jump above the roof tops as they were after Princess Tutu! "Come on!" the Knight told Tutu as his right hand took hers and he began running, with Tutu following quickly, "Hurry!"

Tutu was rushing, trying to keep up with Fakir. She refused to look back; she didn't want to see who or what was after them, but Tutu couldn't help it. She peeked and gasped as she saw about five Raven minions after them. _It's… just like… before!_ Tutu remembered from before what had happened. The scenes of what had happened frightened her. The guards, though she thought perverted, that were supposed to guard her had been killed by the Raven minions, along with the old driver of the carriage. A few of the horses had been killed as well. That was the first time. The first time Princess Tutu saw something so sinister, so barbaric. _Why… why again?!_ she wondered.

"Hurry up, Duck!" Fakir said to her as the two ran.

"I… I'm trying!" Tutu replied, following Fakir. As she followed him, suddenly something pulled on Tutu's left arm. Fakir felt Tutu's hand slipping away from his own as he turned to find two Raven minions, each holding Tutu, by her arms. The third one was about to stab Tutu with a long, dark crow's feather. Princess Tutu didn't know how to react, but she was truly scared. She couldn't break free from the Raven's grasp, and desperately struggled to free herself. Tutu winced in pain as the Raven minions held unto her tighter. "Fa… Fakir…," Tutu whispered.

Fakir gasped. _No… Duck…_, he thought.

Tutu sadly watched as the third Raven minion raised the dark crow's feather high. _I won't… ever get to see Myuto again…_, she thought, _I won't ever get married to Myuto… and I'll never get to dance with him… I'll never get to see him ever again…_

"No!" Fakir shouted, taking out his sword as he tried to stop this, "Duck!" He raced to her, but was stopped by the fourth and fifth Raven minion, who jumped in front of him, blocking him from getting to Tutu. Fakir gasped as the third Raven minion was about to strike Tutu. "No…! Stop…!" Fakir shouted, "Duck!!!"

Suddenly everything and everyone froze. Time had stopped, but not for Fakir and Tutu. And high in the sky, laughter was heard from beyond the grave.

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As Tutu gets swept away from the writer of tragedies himself, Fakir has to rescue her, while Drosselmeyer questions Fakir about the Knight from the Prince and The Raven. A marionette on strings, Princess Tutu is forced to dance as she meets the one and only Drosselmeyer, in person! Is this truly their first meeting? Will it be their last? Will Fakir make it in time to rescue Tutu? RXR!


	4. Drosselmeyer: The Writer of Tragedies

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: Befriending Pique and Lillie, two students from the cursed town's ballet school, Tutu reunites with Fakir, who had discovered information concerning Drosselmeyer and his story, The Prince and The Raven, and manages to save her from getting engaged to the ballet school's teacher, Mr. Cat. Unfortunately, Princess Tutu and the knight Fakir are ambushed by Princess Kraehe's minions. As Fakir is desperate to save Tutu, who was about to be killed by the Ravens, time suddenly stops for all except for Tutu and Fakir, and laughter can be heard from beyond the grave.

Thanks for the reviews:

HaUkEa- Thank you!

Fakirhottie- Finally, someone else is asking questions! Lol! Okay… let's see… Question 1 and 4 will be answered in this chapter. Hopefully, Question 2 will be a yes. And about Question 3… hmm… well, you know Fakir and Duck have something going on… unfortunately, Duck currently is in love with Myuto and Fakir is putting duty over his personal feelings. But will that change, hmm, I wonder? Hahaha, I love episode 22/23 too! They're cute episodes! XD

TTF12- Thanks for the comments! I really appreciate them!

Lalla and her wolf- Lol. Sorry for the long wait! Here's the next chapter!

Sasuke-N-Sakura4Ever- Thank you!

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Sorry for the usual long wait! I'll try to begin writing faster, lol!

Enjoy!

I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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_Suddenly everything and everyone froze. Time had stopped, but not for Fakir and Tutu. And high in the sky, laughter was heard from beyond the grave_.

Tutu felt chills from her spine as her eyes raced around to find the Raven minions holding onto her frozen, and the Raven minion in front of her, frozen the second from it could kill Princess Tutu with its dark feather. "Fakir…!" she called.

Fakir managed to get away from the frozen Ravens he was fighting as he rushed over to Tutu, unable to escape her enemies, who while frozen, blocked any possible way for her to free herself. "Duck…," Fakir asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm surrounded by a bunch of frozen _Ravens_ bent on _killing_ me! Do you _think_ I look _all right_?" Tutu questioned. She shook her head; she couldn't stay angry while all this happened, "What's… going on, Fakir? Why aren't the Raven minions moving?"

"Time has stopped…," Fakir explained, "And for some reason… we're the only ones who weren't frozen."

"But… how?" Tutu asked.

"How should _I_ know?" Fakir asked, pointing out his sword, "Hang on. I'll get you out of there." Slashing the frozen Raven minions surrounding Tutu, she was freed. Backing away, Princess Tutu fell on the flat ground, realizing the enemies who were about to kill her had vanished. Fakir quickly took her arm and pulled her up, to Tutu's own surprise. "Stop acting _dumb_," he said, hitting her on the head, "We have to find out who froze time here."

"… Right," Tutu mumbled, though rubbed her sore head in irritation, "But… what if the person who froze the town was the same person who _cursed_ the town as well?"

Fakir flinched. "Then… the one who froze the town is…"

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Myuto gasped, finding this kingdom and his people frozen. Rushing to two long windows, Myuto opened them to find the townspeople frozen in time. He looked up in the sky to see the birds, flying high, were solid as stone.

"Who could've done such a terrible thing?" Myuto wondered.

Was it the Ravens of the South? Princess Kraehe? No, this power was much greater than that.

"It's as if this being has total control…," Myuto whispered, "… Like a writer having total control of his story…" Closing his eyes, Myuto imagined Princess Tutu in his mind and smiled. He was blue, shimmering eyes and orange, bouncy hair. And especially saw her warm smile that seemed to make everything feel all right in the end.

_Tutu…_, Myuto thought.

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Princess Kraehe flinched, finding her subjects frozen. Her loyal Ravens, kneeling before her, and her Ravens scattered outside were as cold as ice. Kraehe scowled at this, knowing who was responsible of this. "Such power…"

_"Father… The writer is still alive and wishes to bring us all into tragedy. Will you be able to defeat such power?" Kraehe asked._

_She was in a world of lavender and crimson red. Darkened, large feathers were lined in rows. She then heard her Father's voice. He grunted angrily before speaking._

_"You dare thinking your Father is weak, daughter?" he questioned._

_Kraehe gasped, shaking her head immediately. "No, Father! I did not mean such a thing! Forgive me, Father!" she begged._

_"Remember, child, you are nothing more than an ugly crow," her Father spoke coldly. "And yet you desire the Prince's love. Only I can grant such a desire. Remember that well."_

_"Yes, Father," again Kraehe apologized, "Forgive me."_

_"You must find me a heart," the Raven told Kraehe, "A heart worthy and strong for me: the Prince's heart."_

"Father…," Kraehe whispered, watching the sinister skies surrounding her castle walls.

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As Fakir and Tutu ran throughout town, trying to find an answer, Tutu strangely felt as if they were being watched. She felt her footsteps growing slower as she couldn't catch up to Fakir. Everything was turning so fast. Princess Tutu didn't know what was going on. Suddenly she couldn't even hear Fakir's urging voice telling her to hurry. All she heard was the sounds of rustling movements of a working grandfather clock, with all its wheels and screws turning.

Not knowing what was going on, the confused Princess of the Swans called out to the knight. "Fakir!" Tutu called to him.

Annoyed, Fakir knew they had to find Drosselmeyer. He couldn't understand why Tutu wasn't taking it so seriously at the moment. "Duck? What's---?!" he demanded, but once turning around to see her, Fakir gasped. Tutu was trapped within a slowly spinning wheel of a clock. He saw her banging on the invisible wall in front of her, blocking her from Fakir's reach. "Duck!" Fakir shouted, running over to her.

But Tutu couldn't hear him. She only heard the twisted sounds of a sounding clock.

Racing towards her, Fakir saw Tutu moving farther and farther away as she was slowly disappearing from him. "Duck!" Fakir shouted, "Duck!"

Suddenly everything went black. Soon Tutu couldn't see the image of Fakir running to her. Everything around her was in darkness. She felt herself collapsing on the cold floor, motionless. Tutu strained to keep her eyes awake, but she felt herself slowly falling asleep.

"Fakir…"

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Fakir gasped, finding time had returned again. The Ravens on the rooftops cawed insanely as the Raven minions awoken from their frozen states, and went after Fakir. Knowing this wasn't the time or place to fight, Fakir quickly ran off. He needed answers. And he needed them now. But who could Fakir ask? Tutu and Fakir just arrived at the town today, and he didn't know anyone who could possibly know about Drosselmeyer, considering the cursed town was living in ignorance of their curse.

_Wait… There is someone!_ Fakir thought.

Running into the cursed town's library, Fakir found Autor at one of the tables; researching his rare copies of Drosselmeyer's books, documents of stories Drosselmeyer was going to begin writing, and stacks of Drosselmeyer's books he had borrowed from the library in front him. He recognized Autor immediately and remembered his words.

_"These are rare copies of Drosselmeyer's books! And documents of stories he was going to begin to write!"_

_"You don't know about Drosselmeyer? The storywriter with the power to twist his own stories into reality?!"_

_"He's a great author! It's a shame he wasn't able to finish writing his famous story: The Prince and The Raven…"_

"_Weren't you listening to a word I was saying? You must be some traveler or something. I am Autor, and possibly the only one in this town who knows more about Drosselmeyer than anyone else."_

Quickly storming to the table Autor was at, Fakir slammed both his hands on the table, vibrating and allowing Autor's priceless papers scatter on the floor. "You!" Fakir angrily snapped.

Autor glared with annoyance. "You again! What do you think you're---?!"

Fakir pulled Autor up by the collar. Autor could feel sweat rolling down his cheek as Fakir stared at him with intensity. "You… Tell me! Who is this Drosselmeyer?!" Fakir demanded.

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Princess Tutu opened her eyes. She found herself lying on another piece of wheel used in a clock. It was flat and gold. Around her, Tutu could hear the sounds of the inside of an operating clock. Weakly trying to stand, Tutu gasped, realizing she had to control over her body; she couldn't move. "What… is this…?" she asked herself.

Suddenly she found herself moving, dancing ballet. Princess Tutu flinched, knowing these movements weren't her own. As she danced, Tutu felt like a prisoner. She was confused and distraught from this all. Seeing the strings all around her, Princess Tutu realized she was merely a puppet, being used by a puppeteer. She was nothing more than a marionette, being played with like a toy. Tutu felt like crying inside. She wanted to leave this forgotten place.

"Fakir… Help me…," Tutu whispered.

Then she heard something. No, someone. She heard… laughter. Someone was amused by her misery. "Poor little Duck… Or should I say Princess Tutu?" asked the voice.

Tutu gasped. "Who… who are you?" she asked rather hesitantly.

The voice appeared appalled as out from the shadows can an odd looking man with an odd red coat with a green gecko on it and a feathered hat. For some reason, Tutu felt familiar with him. "You mean you do not remember me, little Duck?" the man said, "How cruel you are."

Still, Tutu danced of no will as she kept staring at the man. "I'm sorry… but I've never seen you before in my life," she begged, shaking her head.

"Is that so?" he asked with amusement.

Princess Tutu wanted to leave. She knew something was wrong with the man she felt familiar with. "… Who are you?"

"The writer of tragedies: Drosselmeyer."

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"Tell me! Tell me now, or I swear I'll---!" Fakir shouted.

"Calm down," Autor replied, "This is neither the right time nor place to discuss such things. If you free me, we can discuss this in a more suitable place."

Fakir glared, but released Autor by his collars. Autor hesitantly brushed himself off and then took the books, copies, and documents he had been researching on. He motioned to Fakir that the two would leave to talk somewhere where no one would disturb them. Cautious but desperate for information on Drosselmeyer, Fakir followed the possibly informative Autor.

They walked to one of the houses by a fountain. Fakir glanced at the rooftops to find the many crows and ravens watching him. The crows began to caw loudly as the ravens began circling the town in the skies. "Here," Autor said, "We can talk in here. This is where I've kept everything I found on the storywriter Drosselmeyer."

Fakir went inside to find books, scripts, documents, tables of papers filled with writing, and ink feathers which hadn't been used. On the wall was a family tree of Drosselmeyer and next to a couple of tables was three rolled up scrolls. The one room home was filled with findings of Drosselmeyer. He observed the room, viewing all Autor had.

"Why do you want to know about Drosselmeyer anyway? Earlier today, you told me you never even heard of him," Autor questioned.

"Drosselmeyer is the one who cursed this town, isn't he?" Fakir asked.

"So what if he did?" Autor explained, "This town and its people are full of ignorance and they do not even realize such a curse had befallen them. For goodness sake, there are animals wandering around in this town as intelligent and proper as human beings such as you and I."

"This Drosselmeyer… was able to make any of his desires become reality, right?" Fakir told him, which Autor nodded to. "If so, can you believe… he's pulling the strings on us all this very second?"

"What are you talking about?" Autor asked.

"You said so yourself Drosselmeyer cursed this town. But how could he? He twisted reality to his own choosing, like before. And he's doing it again even now! I have to know: where is Drosselmeyer? And why is he doing this?"

Autor raised his hand and pushed his glasses to his eyes with one finger, taking all this information in. "I'm afraid I haven't discovered the reasons for that yet. No one knows."

Fakir slammed his fist into the table, frustrated. "Dammit! … You're no help at all. I thought you said you were the only one in this town who knew more about Drosselmeyer!"

Autor rested his research on one of the tables as he took out a few books he had borrowed. "Look at this," he said. Fakir took them and skimmed the pages.

"I don't understand. They're all just stories."

Autor sighed. "Skim each book to its end." Fakir did so and flinched. He checked the other books and they were all the same.

"All the endings… They've been ripped off!" Fakir whispered in surprise.

"I discovered that one day in the library," Autor stated, "Interesting enough, I believe it has something to do with Drosselmeyer, considering even The Prince and The Raven has no ending as well."

"What happened to Drosselmeyer? He is alive, right?" Fakir asked, "I have to find him."

"Drosselmeyer is dead."

"What?"

"He was writer of tragedies. Everything Drosselmeyer wrote came true. He stole riches from kings and everything he pleased for was at his fingertips," Autor told Fakir quietly, "But… when word came out of Drosselmeyer's power, they chopped his hands off. And eventually… Drosselmeyer died."

Fakir couldn't believe it. "That… can't be…," he thought, "He had had to been the one who took Duck! I know for sure… Drosselmeyer was the one who took Duck away!"

Autor looked away. "I'm sorry your harsh demand for Drosselmeyer came in vain. Now that you know that, can you leave now?" he asked Fakir rather snobbish.

"You're wrong; I'll be able to find him," Fakir told him, "I'll be able to find Drosselmeyer."

Autor was somewhat surprised and stunned by Fakir's confident words. "Are you _deaf_? Didn't you just hear what I said?" he shouted, "Drosselmeyer is dead! What you're saying is crazy!"

Fakir shrugged as he made his way to the door. "… A writer who could make any of his desires reality, huh?" was all Fakir had said before leaving a confused Autor.

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Princess Tutu, though gracefully dancing with beauty and majestic talent, was frightened and confused in her mind. The words she had just heard echoed in her head repeating and repeating. The rumors coming throughout the town of a writer who cursed the very town and its people, rumors that it was the same writer who wrote the unfinished story of The Prince and The Raven. _Could it be…?_ Tutu wondered.

_"It's nothing, really. Just some rumors about our town being cursed by some dead guy. I heard he wrote The Prince and The Raven."_

"Are you… the one who cursed the town? The one who wrote The Prince and The Raven? And the very one… who was able weave your very desires to reality?" the Princess of the Swans asked.

Drosselmeyer laughed; Tutu recognized it as the same laughter she had heard when she and Fakir hadn't been frozen in time. "Correct, little Duck," he stated, "After all, I am the writer of tragedies."

"But why?" Tutu asked in a dry voice, needing to know, "Why did you curse this town? What did the townspeople ever do to you?"

"Nothing."

"N-Nothing…?"

"Nothing. I merely enjoy toying with my stories," Drosselmeyer said with a smile, "All my stories will end in tragedy, Princess Tutu."

"But why?" Tutu pressed onward.

"Because happy endings are boring. Tragedies are much more pleasing; wouldn't you say?" Drosselmeyer grinned.

"I don't understand…," Tutu whispered with a confused look.

Drosselmeyer turned away as Tutu danced still. He glanced back at her. "Let me ask you this: you are off on a journey to wed your 'beloved' Prince Myuto, yes?" he asked.

Princess Tutu blushed, nodding. "Yes. It is an arranged marriage. … How did you know that?" she questioned.

"I understand you are accompanied by the Prince's knight, Fakir, yes?" again Drosselmeyer asked, this time more intently.

"… Yes," Tutu again agreed, but was confused, "I don't know where you got this information from, but I'm not sure where you're getting at, Mr. Drosselmeyer."

"Your heart hasn't wavered has it, Princess Tutu?"

Those very words lost Tutu the very moment she was asked that. The very question perplexed her and she did not understand. "My heart… hasn't wavered…?" Tutu asked, "What do you mean?"

Before Drosselmeyer could answer, he felt a disturbance nearby and was growing. "What is this?" he asked, turning around, "Is someone trying to tear apart my tragedy? Who could do such a…?"

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Fakir took out a booklet and began to write. Though he never wished to admit, somehow he had the same powers as Drosselmeyer.

When he was but a child, he had written amazing stories that came true. But when his parents and he were attacked by the Ravens, the ending was not in his favor. Instead of what had had wrote, his parents had been killed right in front of him. They had protected him from the Ravens. That was the very day Fakir changed. He no longer wore the naive smile of a child everyday, thinking everything was peaceful and tranquil. He ended up training as a knight of Myuto, and lived in the castle walls from now on. From there, Fakir swore that he would protect Myuto. He grew serious and mature.

_For you, Duck… To save you… I will write again!_ Fakir thought. He wrote to rescue Tutu, for he knew that Drosselmeyer's powers were great and that this was but the only way to reach Princess Tutu.

_A marionette on strings, Princess Tutu was desperate for an escape from her forced ballet. Turning to despair, Tutu was drawing in to the darkness. Her strings would not loosen and the puppeteer Drosselmeyer would not free her. She then saw a light…_

Princess Tutu, still dancing, didn't know what to do anymore. She was beginning to lose hope. She couldn't free herself from Drosselmeyer. "Please… Help me… Fakir…," Princess Tutu whispered, "You're… going to take me… to Myuto, right…?"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a flash of light appeared within the wheels and screws of her prison. It was as if it was beckoning her to enter. Struggling from her strings, Tutu, for a second, thought she could hear Fakir's voice.

_The pure light resonated for the Princess as her strings were burned by the pure light. Running to the center of the cursed town, the Knight called out to the Princess. The Knight wished to reach the Princess as the Princess wanted the same…_

Tutu gasped, finding the strings forcing her to dance burned away in an instant. "I'm free…," she whispered, stunned.

Drosselmeyer gasped, shocked. "How can this be? That knight… He must be interfering!" he stated.

"Duck!"

Tutu flinched, hearing Fakir's voice. She gazed upon the swirling light that appeared before her. She didn't know why, but it was as if the light was telling her to go into it, that it would lead her back, back to Fakir.

"Duck!" Fakir put the book away as he raced to the center of the town. He took a deep breath and shouted. "Duck!" he called.

"Fakir…," Tutu whispered, "Fakir!" Hearing his voice made Princess Tutu want to cry in happiness as she quickly stepped into the light before Drosselmeyer could do anything about it. She jumped into the light. It was blinding, but as long as she heard Fakir's voice, she knew she could reach him.

_The Princess leaped into the heavenly light, knowing she had been rescued. As the Knight called out to her, and Princess returned the call, bring him closer to seeing her again…_

For a second, Fakir swore he heard Tutu's voice. He knew where to go now; he knew where Princess Tutu would be waiting. He ran over to the center of town. Taking another deep breath, Fakir again called. "Duck!"

Again Fakir wrote.

_And as the Knight, longing to see the Princess, called out the Princess's name, a light, brighter than any other light, shown as the Princess returned to him in an embrace…_

Then a flash of light shined before him as he saw the very image of Tutu leap out of the light. "Fakir!"

"Duck!" As Tutu slowly fell before him, Fakir reached out for her hand. Tutu took his as she suddenly fell into his arms in a warm embrace.

"Fakir… I knew you would save me… You said you'd take me to Myuto; you kept your word," Tutu whispered. The Princess of the Swans smiled. "Thank you, Fakir…"

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Drosselmeyer saw this and frowned. His plan was ruined. "How can this be? I am the storyteller here! How could the Knight have equaled my power? _Unless_…," he wondered. Then Drosselmeyer crackled up in laughter.

"It seems this Knight should get far more _credit_ than I had given him…"

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Myuto awed as the birds flying in the skies were again swaying gracefully through the air. The town grew busily as usual, and it appeared no one knew that time had frozen, and that the event had never happened. One of Myuto's many knights appeared before Myuto hesitantly. "Prince, is something the matter?" he asked.

The Prince shook his head with a smile. "I'm all right, Myuto whispered, "For a second… I thought I had almost lost someone I cherish dear. But it seems… _she's_ returned. Thank goodness."

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Kraehe walked down the rows of darkened feathers in the world of lavender and crimson, where her Father was regaining his strength. She had witnessed the frozen time beginning yet again. "Father…," Kraehe said, quietly.

"Daughter, has Princess Tutu been saved from being a marionette of Drosselmeyer?" her Father asked. Kraehe nodded shortly.

"Yes, Father," Kraehe stated, "It appears the knight Fakir may have more power than I had believed."

Her Father laughed silently. "Yes… The knight is a problem and must be taken care of, as is Princess Tutu," he told Kraehe, "Child, take care of them, will you?"

Kraehe nodded. "Yes, Father." Before leaving, her Father's voice stopped her. Glancing back to see him, she questioned why he had done so. "… Kraehe, do not fail me. Less… you wish to feel my _anger_, daughter."

Hesitant and stunned, Kraehe quickly nodded and departed. Fearing her Father's wrath, Kraehe had to take care of Princess Tutu and Fakir sooner rather than later. "Princess Tutu… I won't let you have your way; I won't let you have the Prince. Drown in tragedy!"

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Holding on tightly to Tutu, Fakir felt her orange hair brush on his face as he smiled. "You're all right now… right?"

Tutu gazed up at him with her blue eyes. "I was a marionette on strings, dancing against my free will to the writer of tragedies…," she questioned, this time with a playful voice, "Does it _look_ like I'm all right?" Fakir laughed quietly, understanding right away.

"Princess Tutu."

Tutu and Fakir gasped, hearing the same voice coming from the skies. They knew exactly whose voice it was. "… Mr. Drosselmeyer," Tutu whispered.

"Remember, Princess Tutu: _all_ my stories will befall in tragedy rather than a happy ending," Drosselmeyer spoke, "And as for the knight Fakir: I was surprised to find you had such… remarkable abilities. How odd for someone as the Knight who was _killed_ off by the _Ravens_…"

Tutu gasped. "What?" She glanced over to find Fakir looking away quietly. "Fakir…"

"What of it?" he asked rather harsh, "I am of no such thing."

Drosselmeyer laughed, toying with Tutu and Fakir. "And yet… _Princess Tutu_ is here as well. Is neither that nor enough proof? Or should I remind you of the _Prince_… and his enemy, the _Raven_?" he questioned.

"The Prince and The Raven…," Tutu whispered.

"Correct, little Duck. You may try to run away from fate, but it will catch up. _No one _can change their fates…," Drosslemeyer told them, his voice echoing away in the distant in laughter, "… You will all _live_ in tragedy and _die_ in tragedy."

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Seeing Fakir walk away, Tutu quickly tried to catch up with him. "Fakir? Wait!" She couldn't understand, but suddenly she felt so far away from him. They're sudden embrace felt so distant now. "Fakir… what's wrong?" she asked.

Again there was no answer.

"Fakir---" Suddenly she gasped as Fakir glanced back at her with a frustrated face full of anger. He glared at her. Tutu backed away, almost frightened at the very second. Fakir flinched, his eyes quivering as he realized what was going on.

"… I-I'm sorry…"

Tutu nodded, walking towards him. "Don't worry," she replied quickly, "It's my fault all this happened. If I hadn't run off in the first place---"

"Don't say that."

"H-Huh?"

Fakir sighed as he put his hands on his hips, facing Tutu. "If you say that… then _everything_ I did for _you_ would've been for _nothing_," he told her.

Tutu gasped, blushing. "Fakir…?"

Fakir turned away and started walking again. "… Let's go."

Tutu smiled with a nod. "Right!"

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Chapter 4 Done! After the events that occurred with Drosselmeyer and the town he had cursed, Tutu and Fakir's relationship seem to get shaky. With Raven minions following their every move and Kraehe planning their demise for her own selfish reasons, will the Princess of the Swans and the Knight ever reach Prince Myuto? And with Drosselmeyer pulling the strings of tragedy from the grave, will Princess Tutu live happily ever after or in tragedy? RXR!


	5. A Nice Feeling

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: Drosselmeyer, the writer of tragedies, kidnaps Tutu while Fakir is desperate to save her. He enlists the help of Autor, but is not successful. Dancing like a marionette, Princess Tutu learns information from Drosselmeyer and how he wishes to end everything in tragedy. He also claims he and Tutu have met before, confusing the Princess. As time stands still, seemingly only Tutu, Fakir, Myuto, Kraehe, and Autor weren't frozen, possibly because they are all pawns of Drosselmeyer's scheme. Fakir manages to save Tutu by writing her freedom while Drosselmeyer laughs upon the seemingly Knight from the story. Time returns again, but leaves a cautious Princess Tutu and Fakir.

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Sorry for the extremely long wait. If you want to know why I haven't been writing, (yes, the fanfic author has a reason why!) read my profile, where I always update if and why I haven't made any new chapters recently. Thank you.

As promised, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Enjoy!

I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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Stepping out of the carriage, Princess Tutu outstretched with a yawn. It had been a day or two since the incident concerning Drosselmeyer and Tutu and Fakir were still on their way to Prince Myuto's kingdom. Rubbing her eyes, Tutu turned to her left to notice a stumbling, weary Fakir coming from the front of the carriage. "Good morning, Fakir!" the Princess of the Swans greeted. Staggering to Tutu, Fakir's head sleepily fell on her shoulder, surprising her. _What?!_ "Fa-Fakir?!" she asked with a red face. "What are you…?!"

Fakir raised his head up slightly, his face close to Tutu's. Unexpectedly, he flicked her on the forehead. "Duck, you… idiot…," he grumbled. "You locked me out of the carriage again!"

"Hey, if you try to sneak into a woman's carriage in the middle of the night, it'll scare her! Besides, I thought it was the wind rattling the carriage again," Tutu simply explained.

"You? A _woman_? You're a '_duck_,'" Fakir shot back coolly.

"What was that…?!" Princess Tutu grumbled.

Walking pass her, the Knight headed to the door to the carriage. He opened it and went inside half way. Fakir glanced back at back at Tutu. "And don't even think about driving the carriage."

Tutu pouted. "Fakir, you should at least _try_ being nice to me. I mean, once I marry Myuto, you'll have to follow _my_ orders," she warned with a grin.

Fakir gave a sly smile. "Yeah… _if_ you marry Myuto."

Tutu glared as Fakir left her with the last word. _What was that all about?!_ She thought angrily. _Who does he think he is?! Of course I'm marrying Myuto!_ She didn't understand Fakir at all. Half the times he'd either be mad or sarcastic with her, and other times he was almost sincere and mature. It annoyed her how much Fakir would change his attitude around her. _He can be so weird sometimes, that stupid Fakir…_ Princess Tutu sighed as she looked around the surroundings of the carriage. The carriage was by a steep hill leading to a pond on the bottom of the valley. She wished they had a map so at least they could account the places they've traveled and how much longer it would take to get to Myuto's Kingdom. "Myuto…," Tutu whispered. She wanted to be with the Prince she is to marry. She wanted to show him the ballet she learned and how much she had grown and matured since their last visit as children. The Princess of the Swans hadn't seen Myuto in years.

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_ Why did I say that? Now she might get the wrong idea…_, Fakir thought as he tried to get some sleep. But Tutu kept appearing in his thoughts. He remembered how worried and desperate he was for her safety when she was taken by Drosselmeyer. _I never want that to happen again… _"Duck…"

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The sound of footsteps. Tutu stood from her spot by the pond as she gazed upon the dusty, dirty path she and Fakir had come from. _Hm? I thought I heard…_

Then she saw it. Someone walking just on the pathway. The person was staggering, dazed and tired. It was a young girl with short, blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a beige vest over her white shirt and beige shorts and brown boots. Over her clothing was a brown cloak.

_A girl!_ Princess Tutu took a few steps forward, not knowing how to react. As soon as she knew it, Tutu saw that the young girl had fallen and was rolling down the green hill. Running towards her, the Princess of the Swans quickly caught her in her arms with ease. "Are you all right?" she asked, worried, but the girl was unconscious.

_She must be very tired… That look on her face was so pale. I should find her someplace to… sleep…_, Princess Tutu thought, slowly turning her eyes towards the carriage right behind her.

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Opening his eyes, Fakir found Princess Tutu sitting across from him inside the carriage. "Duck…," he mumbled.

"Good morning, Fakir," Tutu greeted sweetly. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Yeah, I did. Hey, who's…?" Fakir then realized it. He noticed on Tutu's lap was a sleeping fifteen year old. He flinched, almost speechless. "Duck, who the hell is…?!"

"Shhhhh! You'll wake her up," Princess Tutu hissed, stroking the exhausted girl's blonde hair gently.

"Who is that?!"

"I found her."

Fakir stood up, annoyed and angered. "You can't just pick up any charity case you find on the street! Put her _back_!" he ordered.

"I can't just do that! Who in the right mind _would_ do that?!" Tutu shot back, furious by such a suggestion.

"I would!" the Knight shouted.

"You're a heartless jerk!" the Princess snapped.

"Heartless?! Well, you're a gullible moron who doesn't know when to quit!"

"Gullible?! Fakir… You…!"

Both Tutu and Fakir glared at each other with irritation and annoyance until they stopped. The young girl had woken up as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where… am I…?" she asked.

"I found you unconscious outside. My name's Duck," Princess Tutu greeted casually, outstretching her hand.

The fifteen year old nodded with a smile as she shook Tutu's hand. "My name is Maria," she introduced. She glanced at Fakir with a frown. "Duck, who's that _scary_ guy?"

"_Scary guy_?!" Fakir grumbled.

Tutu grinned. "Ohhhhhhh, _him_? That's just Fakir. Yeah, he _is_ pretty scary when you think about it," she agreed, much to Fakir's chagrin. "So… where are you going? You looked so tired outside."

"I'm trying to return home," Maria explained. "I've lived with my father for many years, but I've yearned to see my mother again. I knew it would be a long journey… and I knew I would have gotten lost too… But I remember the green long hill and the pond outside. It's just around the corner, I'm sure." She looked down. "I haven't seen my mother in five years. I've been so busy raising money with my father in the town he works in. My mother is ill and is staying with my aunt and cousin. Thank you for helping me, Duck, but I really should get going…"

"We can take you there!" the Princess of the Swans blurted out loud in an instance.

"What?!" the Knight questioned.

"That's not necessary, really," Maria reassured quickly, not wanting to trouble her new friend.

Princess Tutu took both Maria's hands in her own. "I know how you feel. I never really get to see my parents either. I really want to help you, Maria." Her face was tranquil; even though she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness on her face and on the tone of her voice.

"…" Fakir was quiet. He had already known about this. Tutu's father and mother were often busy as king and queen with political negotiations all around the country and her father had recently gone off into war against the Ravens of the south. _She must've been so… lonely…_, Fakir thought, staring at Tutu.

Maria slowly nodded. "All right."

Tutu turned to Fakir. "Well? I need _somebody_ to drive the horses outside," she mentioned.

"You want _me_ to drive?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, you won't let _me_," she reminded firmly.

Fakir glared as he stomped out of the carriage and shut the door. Maria sat across next to Tutu. "You two seem very close," she said.

Tutu's face turned red. "What makes you say that?" she flustered. "We argue all the time!"

Maria laughed. "But… he does seem to care about you. … You know?" she asked, tilting her head with a grin. "It's a nice feeling… to be loved by someone."

"To be loved by someone…," Tutu repeated Maria's words. She looked down. _Myuto… A lot of times I do wonder… Just what are his feelings for me? Our marriage is arranged. Does he love me? Or is it simple kindness?_ She wondered. _But it doesn't really matter if he doesn't have the same feelings for me that I have for him. His kindness is good enough for me._ The Princess of the Swans smiled. _It is a nice feeling._ Just as she thought those words, Fakir entered her mind.

_Fakir… What Maria said can't be right. Fakir doesn't care about me. He certainly doesn't lo…_ Tutu blushed; her face was as red as a tomato. She shook her head.

"_If you say that… then everything I did for you would've been for nothing."_

Her face grew even more red, remembering Fakir's words from before. "Fakir…," she stammered finally, "He's just a friend."

Maria frowned. "Really?"

"Of course!" Tutu said quickly.

Maria closed her eyes. "Well… I hope that when you are ready to find love, you'll see that it's right in _front_ of you," she whispered.

"Huh?" Princess Tutu asked. _When I'm ready to find love? It'll be right in front of me…?_

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Arriving at Maria's hometown, Princess Tutu and Fakir wished her well as she reunited with her mother. The sun was setting as Maria stood outside her house across from Tutu and Fakir, who were ready to depart after retrieving some supplies and goods. "Thank you so much, Duck. You've really helped me out today," she added, "You too, Fakir. You're not as scary as I thought."

Tutu giggled as Fakir looked away, a bit irritated. "… Thanks," he muttered.

Maria smiled. "Oh, and Duck, remember what I told you," she grinned as she went inside her house.

Turning red, the Princess of the Swans nodded. "R-Right…" She glanced at Fakir quietly. _Even though he can be a jerk sometimes, he is nice to me. He protects me and is there for me too._ Tutu smiled. _I never really thought Fakir could ever really be my friend. We were never really friends as children, but maybe… Just maybe… This time, it'll be different._ Princess Tutu stared at Fakir. "It is… a nice feeling," she finally said.

"Huh?" Fakir asked.

Tutu shook her head, still smiling. "… Nothing," she replied with a hint of a laugh.

Fakir watched as the Princess of the Swans entered the carriage behind him. _I won't leave you, Duck_, he thought. _That look on your face before… It made me feel like even though we were right next to each other, you were so far away. I don't want to see you look that way ever again. So… I won't leave you._

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Chapter 5 Done! A meeting with Maria bring Tutu and Fakir to come in terms with their feelings for one another. But will it turn into a blooming love? As Tutu and Fakir are heading on their way to Myuto, will conflicts and enemies try to keep them off their path? Will Princess Tutu ever be reunited with Myuto? RXR!


	6. Enemy Advantage

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: Princess Tutu befriends Maria, a young girl who wishes to reunite with her long awaited, ill mother. She helps Tutu and Fakir realize just how they feel about each other, and how important the heart is. But _will_ Tutu and Fakir's blooming friendship turn to blooming love…?

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As promised, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the extreme long wait, especially to Koneko Mistress of Fire, since she's been waiting very patiently, who also changed her name, so yeah. Enjoy.

Enjoy!

I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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Fakir halted the carriage to a slow stop. He had been awake for almost over a day driving the carriage, and hadn't heard a single complaint from Princess Tutu the whole time. _I'm surprised I didn't even hear her snoring last night…_, he muttered, stepping out as he walked over to the carriage doors. Just before he could open the doors, immediately, Tutu came outside, slamming the doors on him.

She peeked out. "Good morning, Fakir."

Fakir glared intensely at her. "You idiot!" he snapped. "Watch where you're going! You slammed that door right in my face!"

"The door wasn't in the way. _You_ were."

"What was that?!"

Tutu rubbed her eyes drowsily, shaking her head. "Wow, I'm so… sleepy…"

"Eh?" Fakir walked over to her. Noticing who odd she's been acting, Fakir placed his hand on her forehead before quickly releasing. "You… you have a fever!" Closing her eyes, Tutu fell into his arms quietly. Fakir flinched. _Just great… Another excuse to delay the journey…_, he spat. But the Knight sighed. He couldn't help but not feel too mad, especially in Tutu's condition. "Hey, Duck, go inside then, or you'll feel even worse." He gently gave her a push towards the carriage, but instantly, Tutu fell on the dusty ground. Fakir rushed to her.

"Duck?"

There was no answer.

"Duck!"

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Crows cawed, fluttering around the dark chambers of the south. On the sinister throne sat the Princess of the Ravens. She extended out her hand and a crow flew to her side. "What news have you brought to me…?" Princess Kraehe asked, glancing at the Raven Minions in front of her. Her usual frown turned into a sudden sly smile. "What? Princess Tutu is ill? What joyful news, indeed… Send ten minions there immediately. There's no time to waste on an occasion such as this." A gust of air drifted and the minions were gone instantly.

Glancing out her shattered glass windows, Kraehe stared longingly at what lied ahead. The north. And at the north… Prince Myuto. My Prince… My dear Myuto… Say farewell… to your swan princess…, she thought, smiling.

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Staring out his balcony seal, Prince Myuto felt a faint feeling. He placed his head over his head dizzily. Urgently, one of his knights approached him. "My Prince, are you all right?"

"Y-Yes… I'm fine…," Myuto reassured with ease. However, his thoughts were in turmoil. What is this feeling… I sense…? Myuto wondered, narrowing his eyes sharply. Tutu… Please… be safe…

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Fakir sighed, shaking his head. He sat on the far side of the inside of the carriage as Tutu lied on the other seat, with sweat dripping from her forehead. Dammit… In a time like this, she turns up sick…, he grumbled with annoyance. Why now?

Tutu tried to open her cerulean eyes slowly. "Fa… Fakir…?" she whispered.

Quickly, he went to her side. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

"I've… felt better…"

"… I see."

Trying to reassure Fakir, Tutu tried her best to sit up, but Fakir stopped her automatically. Princess Tutu gave him a glare. "I'm all right, really…"

"Well, you don't sound all right, do you?" Fakir shot back with a cold stare. Tutu flinched and looked away. With a sigh, frustrated Fakir patted Tutu on the head. "Just… get some rest. I'll try to get you to nearest town so we can get some proper medical attention if you get worse." Fakir closed his eyes. "… Besides, I don't think Myuto would want to wed a _gross_, sick Duck…"

"Hey!"

"If you're so offended, then prove me wrong and get better."

Tutu lied back and warmly smiled as Fakir opened the carriage doors to leave. _Fakir… I guess he can be kinda nice sometimes…_ "Thank you… Fakir…," she murmured as she slowly went to sleep. Fakir gasped and silently glanced back at Tutu. Before leaving, he approached her and knelt beside her.

"Duck…," he muttered.

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Day soon turned to night as Fakir parked the carriage by a stream of flowing, clear water. He went by the river and dampened a rag cloth, and went back to the carriage to place it over the Tutu's head. Before he did, Fakir checked her forehead once more. _She's still not doing so good… It doesn't look like her fever decreased at all…_, he noticed disappointingly. _It may've even risen…_ Once Fakir put the wet rag over her forehead, Princess Tutu tiredly awakened, opening her eyes. "Sorry… Did I wake you?"

"Right… in front of me…," Tutu mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"The _wash cloth_…?"

"Ready to find… in front of…"

Great, she's delusional…, Fakir said, shaking his head. What is she blabbering about anyway? Is the cloth too wet for 'her majesty?' He rolled his eyes, irritated. "Say something I can understand, Duck."

"_Love_…," Tutu whispered.

Fakir coughed with wide eyes. "H-Huh…?" _She must be delusional…_

"When you are ready… to find love… you'll see that it's right… in front of you…," Princess Tutu muttered. Sitting up, Tutu glanced at Fakir. "Oh, Fakir… What are you doing here?"

"What were you talking about before? Were you dreaming?" Fakir questioned.

_Hm? Dreaming…?_ Tutu shrugged. "I was just remembering… what Maria told me before…," she stated, confused. "Why? What did I say?"

With a flustered face, Fakir looked away. "Nothing… It's nothing…" He narrowed his eyes. "Lie back. You should be asleep."

Tutu pouted. "I've been asleep all day," she complained, lying back on the cushioning seat. Suddenly, a noise made Tutu sit up once more with fear.

"Hey, what did I say? Don't you want to get better?"

"No… Didn't you hear that sound just now?!"

Fakir gave a perplexed face. "Sound…?" Then the two heard it once more. A screeching sound from outside. "What is that…?"

"Fakir…," Tutu worried.

"Stay inside. I'll check it out."

"But…!"

"If it's Raven minions…," Fakir told her, "… You could be in danger. Stay here." Though she was hesitant, Tutu nodded, believing in the Knight.

"Fakir… Be careful," Tutu warned.

With caution, Fakir went outside. There was nothing beside the grassy fields and a few scattered trees. Even, so, Fakir shut the door and darted around. Another sudden screeching noise came. _Where is it coming from?!_ He wondered. Rearing his head up, Fakir froze. Crows were circling the skies above him as suddenly Raven minions surrounded Fakir and the carriage. "Raven minions… How?!" he cursed. As the ten minions charged towards Fakir, the Knight quickly took out his sword, preparing for battle. _Damn… I have to keep going, or else…_ Fakir glanced behind his shoulder to find the carriage doors open and empty.

"… Duck?!"

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Cliffhanger! Fakir battles the Raven minions to save a kidnapped Tutu, but will strength be enough? Will Kraehe make an appearance to the event? And will Tutu get better in time to help Fakir? How will Drosselmeyer add in this all…? RXR!


	7. Reaching For You

The Journey Ahead

Summary: Princess Tutu, Princess of the Swans, has engaged, by their families, to Myuto, the Prince of a far away land. To wed her love, Prince Myuto's knight, Fakir, is asked to go to her kingdom and accompany her on the journey to Myuto's kingdom. Will Tutu fall for the knight of her perhaps beloved? Will the knight leave all duty, all loyalties, to be with his beloved? As love is tested, Princess Kraehe, Princess of the Ravens, schemes to rule the kingdoms and the Prince's heart. How will our heroine possibly defeat this foe?

Last Chapter: Princess Tutu suddenly turns ill, alarming her Knight, Fakir. As Princess Kraehe schemes to get rid of Tutu and as Prince Myuto fears for Tutu's wellbeing, Tutu and Fakir are attacked by Raven minions. And in the midst of the battle... Fakir finds Tutu nowhere to be found...

Thanks for the reviews:

Siriaca-Ying-Fa- I know, right? XD

o.OEvangelineO.o- The ending for the cliffhanger, enjoy!

Mercy the fallen angel- Yeah, it was a bit rushed, I admit.

BalletArtist- Thank you!

RedRoseInADarkAlley- Thank you so much!

SasuxSakufan- Sorry for the long wait!

Silviara (ch4)- Lol, thanks!

Akaiihana- Thank you!

Riku- I understand, and again I'm sorry.

-'ahiru-nonoko'—Thanks!

New Favs and New Alerts:

I've lost count... Sorry. /

Sorry for the long wait! Enjoy!

I Do Not Own Princess Tutu!

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_"… Duck?!"_

The carriage doors flapped open, and the interior was empty, except for the amount of crow feathers lying about. Fakir felt his hands tighten into fists as he could only stare in horror at the empty carriage.

"Duck... Duck...," he whispered. Then he began spinning about as he lashed and attacked some of the Raven minions. "Duck! Duck...! Where are you?! ... Duck!!"

He flinched as he saw her. Princess Tutu lied unconscious, with her arms clawed by two crows that began to carry her away. "Fa... kir...," she moaned, wincing in pain as she regained consciousness only slightly before reverting back to unconsciousness. Fakir began to run to her, calling out her name, but the ten Raven minions stepped in the way, each charging at the Knight once more.

_Dammit... I have no time for you guys... I have to get to... to..._ "... Duck!!" Fakir called out to her as he slashed three Raven minions in one hit, who all fell to the ground, disappearing into crow feathers. He did the same to three more until there was one Raven minion left. _Only one more... and then... and then I can..._ Fakir's eyes widened.

This time, Princess Tutu was gone. The crows and the young princess were nowhere to be seen. Fakir stood there in shock as the last Raven Minion drove his feathery blade into Fakir as blood dripped on the ground.

"D-Duck...," Fakir whispered.

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"Everything is coming into place... Soon, the Prince will be mine...," Princess Kraehe whispered. She sat in her throne, closing her eyes. "And then... I'll finally have a happy ending..."

"But happy endings are boring. _I_ prefer tragedies instead."

Kraehe's eyes opened as she sharply stood up, spinning around. "Who goes there?" she challenged, glaring, "Who dares to invade my thoughts?!" Out of nowhere, a grandfather clock appeared before her. _A... clock? What...?_ "What is this?! Answer me!" She flinched as someone stepped out of the grandfather clock. Kraehe narrowed her eyes. "What... No, _who_ are you...?" she bellowed.

The old man smiled. "The writer of tragedies: _Drosselmeyer_."

"Drosselmeyer, eh...? Father had already warned me of you." Then Kraehe flinched. She drew back instinctively. "You... You're the person who froze time... I remember this power... and I've heard rumors of you. You've cursed a town, and had stayed there ever since, wanting only tragedies for your stories, so why are you _here_, of all places?"

"I thought you, of all people, would have realized it by now, Kraehe. I weave all stories into tragedies, including this one," Drosselmeyer murmured.

"This one?" Kraehe questioned, "What do you mean?"

"No one can escape my eyes," Drosselmeyer told her, "Not the Prince, not the Raven, not Princess Tutu, not the Knight who was killed by the Ravens, not even you... who has no place in my story. I never recall writing of a raven princess... in The Prince and The Raven."

Kraehe gasped. "What are you saying...?"

"I am saying that Princess Tutu and you... shall never find happiness. You may not be an original character in my story, but it would be cruel of me to leave you out of their misery. You will be the same as them." Drosselmeyer slowly entered the grandfather clock once more. He began to cackle in laughter as the clock began to disappear. "You will live in tragedy, just like them!"

Shivering with fear, Kraehe fell to her throne as she sat there, shaking. "N-No... You're wrong... I will have the Prince... I will have a happy ending... Father promised that... and he's never wrong... You're wrong... It... can't be...," she whispered. "... You're wrong...!!"

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Slashing down the last of the crows, Fakir looked around sharply, hoping to find some trace of Tutu. Then he saw the trail of crows' feather leading the same way Tutu had come from.

_Tutu..._, he mumbled as he quickly got the carriage ready and began the chase. He bit his lip, feeling the wound ache. Blood dripped from his clothes as he continued to steer the horses.

_I can't stop... Not now... I have to keep moving... For Duck... _

_Duck..._

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Where am I...? My head hurts... For a second, I thought I heard...

"Fakir!" Tutu's eyes instantly opened as she found herself being carried away by two crows.

She winced as their hold on her arms hurt her terribly. Still, Tutu began to struggle. She remembered Fakir leaving her to fight ten Raven minions, and before she knew it, crow feather surrounded her and she had blacked out. Tutu looked around as she continued to struggle with the crows, who began pecking at her to stop, but she didn't give in. She couldn't see Fakir or the carriage or Raven minions on the dirty path the crow were carrying her in.

_Fakir... Oh, Fakir..._, Tutu whispered. _Please... Don't die..._

To her astonishment, the two crows released her. Tutu fell to the ground as she tried to see where they were going, but the crows flew too fast, hurrying back to Kraehe as they realized her desperate state of distress. Tutu began to crawl back to the battlefield where Fakir was, wherever it was at. Her arms felt weak and her legs felt heavy. She could barely attempt to stand.

_Fakir... Don't die..._

Building up the courage, Tutu began to stand and began to walk, even though it was painful. "This pain is enough to endure... Compared to what Fakir has to go through every time to protect me... I can handle it," she told herself optimistically, "Heh, I'll have to get stronger, or Myuto will never want marry me!"

Then something caught her eye. A young man driving a carriage coming towards her. As she ran towards him, he fell off the carriage in a daze from his injuries.

"... Fakir!!"

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"My Prince, are you all right?" one of the Knights asked him as he escorted Myuto to his room, "Recently, your health hasn't been very well..."

Myuto shook his head. "I'm fine," he reassured, "I'll feel even better once Princess Tutu returns here safely." _Tutu... Please be safe. And please... take care of Fakir..._

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Fakir winced as he opened his eyes as a sudden rumbling of shock sent him bouncing. He rubbed his head, realizing he was inside the carriage instead of driving it as usual. _I thought I was dead... How did I...?_ He wondered as he felt his wound, only to find bandages. "Ah... How...?"

Fakir looked around. "Duck...?" More bumps on the road made Fakir jump in his seat, bumping his hand on the ceiling again. "Geez... _Who_ in the heck is driving the...?" His eyes widened. He quickly turned for the carriage door and opened it.

"_Duck_?!" Fakir asked with disbelief.

Tutu blinked as she glanced behind her shoulder. "Good morning, Fakir!" she greeted, grinning. "I see you're looking better!"

"Stop the carriage! I'll drive! You have no idea how to drive that thing, and you'll only get us killed! Besides, you have a fever!"

"Fakir, it's been two days, and I feel just peachy right now. You should be the one resting. If you keep moving around like that, you'll either fall out of the carriage or your wounds will――" Tutu's eyes widened. "Fakir, your wounds _opened_!!"

"_What?!_" Fakir looked down to find blood seeping through the bandages.

"I told you to rest! Get inside!"

"This is all _your_ fault!"

"_My_ fault?!" Tutu snapped as she stopped the carriage, making Fakir once again smack his face into the door, "_You're_ the one who got injured!"

"Because _you_ got sick _and_ got kidnapped!" Fakir shot back, jumping out of the carriage to face her.

Tutu sighed. "You're right... I'm sorry, Fakir." Fakir blinked, surprised. "Oh, and... thank you, Fakir."

"Thank me?" Fakir repeated, confused, "For what?"

Princess Tutu looked up at her Knight and smiled. "For being alive."

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Chapter 7 Done! (Wow, I just finished updating four fanfics today, including this one. I might do so more! XD) Tutu and Fakir get into some trouble, but is it with Kraehe? The Ravens? Or something worse? Anyways, RXR!


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